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RENSSELAER, Ind. – Eighty years after Austin Talbert first opened the doors to his company, Talbert Manufacturing is still going strong.

Founded in 1938 as a heavy haul, crane rental, and construction equipment business in Lyons, Ill., Talbert made its mark in heavy-haul trailer safety innovations. Talbert is credited with the invention of the industry’s first gooseneck model with removable rear suspension for heavy-haul trailers.

Current Talbert president Andrew Tanner says the company has tried to stay true to its founder’s vision of innovation and safety over the last 80 years.

“We have never been a take-it-or-leave-it manufacturer,” Tanner said. “If our customers have a need, we listen and then we fulfill it. It’s how Austin Talbert made Talbert Manufacturing what it is today,” he said.

The Indiana manufacturing facility Talbert occupies today is the same one its founder acquired in 1957 when he sold his crane rental and heavy-haul divisions to focus solely on trailer manufacturing, and the Talbert Construction Equipment Company became Talbert Manufacturing.